American Go E-Journal » 2014 » December

“Do you have any info on Washington DC or Northern VA Go association?” asks Jonathan Kim. Click on a state here to see a list of AGA chapters and other clubs and meeting places for go players in that state. Official chapters of the American Go Association are indicated by the AGA logo. Click on a chapter or club name to visit their webpage, if available.

Players met from November 28 to December 3 in Busan, Korea for the 2nd round of the Nongshim Cup. China’s performance was especially stunning with Wang Xi 9p winning four games in a row before he was defeated by Korea’s top player Park Junghwan 9p. Pressure was on Japan in game ten when Park faced Japan’s top player Iyama Yuta 9p (right). However, Iyama came through and secured a place for Japan in the Nongshim Cup Finals for the first time since the 12th Nongshim Cup in 2010-2011.

Shanghai will host the final round of the 16th Nongshim Cup in March 2015. Kim Jiseok 9p will represent Korea while China has Shi Yue 9p, Mi Yuting 9p, and Lian Xiao 7p on its roster. Historically, the Nongshim Cup has been dominated by Korean players (11 wins) while Japan has only won once. For more information on this year’s Nongshim Cup including photos, game records, and commentary, please visit Go Game Guru.–Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

The AGA has just received a request to send a young North American (US or Canadian) player to Hangzhou, China, for the new Li Min Cup World Best Go Star Championship Finals from December 18 to 24, AGA President Andy Okun reports to the EJ. The player, who can be a citizen or permanent resident, should meet the AGA’s eligibility requirements and must have been born after Jan. 1, 1991. Food and lodging are being provided by the organizers along with travel expenses of up to 10,000 RMB (about $1,600).

“While this is a last-minute thing, I have been to Hangzhou and this is a trip worth making if at all possible,” Okun said. The venue of the tournament, Hangzhou Qiyuan’s Tianyuan Tower, is a 34-floor go-themed luxury hotel with a major go school and library and a go museum in the lobby (THE TRAVELING GO BOARD: HANGZHOU’S TOWER OF GO 5/27/2010 EJ). Interested players should respond as soon as possible to Okun at president@usgo.org and Cherry Shen at tournaments@usgo.org. If there are multiple interested players, a quick play-off may be held.

The Iwamoto North America Foundation (INAF) has taken another step toward establishing a new East Coast Go Center, releasing an Announcement of Intended Request for Proposals. INAF “seeks proposals from interested parties for the establishment of a center that would help promote Go in the center’s local area, serve as a resource for east coast go activities, and contribute to a more vibrant Go community nationally.” A formal request for proposals is expected to be released in July 2015 with proposals due in November 2015 and an award made in January 2016. Interested groups should contact INAF for discussions on how to proceed.

Most of the games for the first round of the 2014-2015 AGA City League have been played already “and they were spectacular,” says TD Steve Colburn. “With many of the strong AGA and CGA players playing we have seen some exciting games.”